1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ball striking practice device. More particularly, it relates to a device which enables a user to practice repetitively striking a practice ball locatable on a tether to one of a plurality of vertically preset locations resulting in a realistic resistance and flight of a struck ball and a quick controlled return of the object to the same location for re-striking. The distance of the practice ball from the user and the ground is adjustable by adaptation of the pole structure used to mount the ball tether or by adjustment of the mounting of the ball on the tether or the tether length.
2. Prior Art
Ball striking practice devices are commonly used in the United States and throughout the world to improve one""s skill in games which involve the striking of an object such as a baseball, softball, tennis ball, hand ball, or racket ball with a striking instrument such as racket, bat stick, or one""s hand. Most such practice ball striking positioning devices have failed to duplicate the normal striking position of the user or a realistic feel and flight of a ball, namely a pitched object when impacted.
Others have been deficient because of their complexity or have been expensive for purchase by young ball players. Or, they lack features to prevent dangerous return movement of the ball after it is hit or to return the ball in a hitting position with a simulated pitching motion. Furthermore, the development of batting skills is currently accomplished with the use of costly pitching machines and batting drills utilizing pitchers at some risk to the latter. Hitting practice requires a substantial open area to avoid risk to other players. Accordingly, hitting practice is often limited by the lack of space which pitching machines and/or pitchers have to throw for batting practice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,880 to Adke teaches a tennis ball attached to a combination of horizontal elastic and inelastic cords which necessarily require the striker to straddle one of the cords, thus preventing practice on a high positioned practice ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,316 to Szafianski retrains the struck object along only one axis, in this case the vertical axis. There is a substantial danger that the return flight of the ball will fly directly toward the striker. If the ball is hard, like a baseball, injury can result.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,270,957 to Mears is also restrained along a single axis, requires attachment to a permanent structure, and although the resistance may be varied by movement of the person, does not permit motion of a static resistance to the struck ball. Additionally, this device does not provide the ability to selectively position the ball along the vertical axis applicable for different strokes.
Tethered apparatus such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,379 to Juhasz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,599 to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,960 to Nicfolls, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,796 to Lawrence all merely suspend a ball from a tether but do not provide the feel, flight, safety, nor any control on the speed of return of the ball and dampening advantages of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,828 to Love provides a batting practice device that, although safe, adjustable in height, and cost-effective, uses two non-elastic rope materials as tethers. The dampening delays caused by the rope resistance during its winding and unwinding motion do not provide the player with the feel, flight, nor the simulation of a ball projected by centrifugal forces similar to a pitched ball by a pitcher nor does the device have any features for controlling the speed of return of the ball as advanced in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,219 to Mceon et al. teaches a baseball batting practice using two tethered ropes, one snugly lined by a metal tube. With the same problems of dampening and delays as Love, the practice device also does not provide any control on the speed of return of the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,101 to Lawson et al. teaches a training apparatus using a fence and a series of cable clamps to tie-down the apparatus arms to the fences. Such practice devices are restricted to outdoor places that necessarily have fences and where noise and accuracy of the ball""s position at return due to the effect of the fence vibrations are not important to the player. The device does not have the advantages of feel, flight, safety and controls of the present invention.
There thus exists the need for a batting practice device that provides safety of use, and for improved hand and eye coordination of players, which can be used in a confined space by containing the travel of the ball. The ball movements should closely simulate real conditions of balls pitched by a pitcher and an adjustable system of control of the speed of return, and adjustment of target height, thus providing a manner for accelerating and improving the learning process into more advanced levels.
Applicant""s device provides the user with a manner to practice batting, their batting technique, and in various embodiments may be portable or permanently mounted depending on the intended use. The device features a practice ball slidably locateable to an infinite number of positions on a tether depending on where a tether mounted ball positioner is located. The practice ball thereby will still slide upward toward its highest attachment on a mounting post while being prevented from sliding past the positioner,
The device features a selectively permanent mountable or portable stand which, when in use, has a base portion, a generally vertical post or riser portion, and a horizontal top portion.
A practice ball is provided for the user, which in the current best mode, is slidably located in its mount on a tether in the appropriately spaced relationship of ball from the ground and from the user which is generally determined by the user height. During use, the ball is suspended vertically from anchoring means provided at the extension end of the horizontal top arm using a tether means and a ball positioner to maintain the ball in a target position for hitting and then return it thereto after being struck. Or on an alternative embodiment, the device may have both ends of the tether mounted to the upright post.
The tether, in the current best mode, is made from an elastic material similar to that used on surf board leashes as it possesses the elastic and exterior smooth surface properties desired for an optimum leash. The practice ball is slidably located in the hitting position by a positioner attached to the tether. In use the tether provides a smooth exterior surface for the practice ball to slide upon and to relocate upon while being strong enough to absorb continual spiral wrapping around the upright post or vertical riser.
The vertical riser and the horizontal arm may be fixed in length, or, as in the current best mode, one or both may have telescoping members of adjustable length means so that the tether and the vertical position of the practice ball may be conveniently adjusted to the user""s height or stance and the mode of practice intended.
The tether, as such, provides a means to locate the ball in the correct or target position for hitting by adjustment of the attached poles, the tether length, and optionally, the positioner thereon. Practice may be conduced in a confined area since when the practice ball is struck, the tether stores the kinetic energy of the ball like that of a twisted spring and returns the ball to the original target position. Additional biasing to return to the hitting or target position is provided by a second tether which may be attached to the distal end of the tether below the ball, to the ball positioner below the practice ball, or may be part of the first tether and just continue to a mounting on the pole.
Additional utility is provided by another optional feature of another embodiment of the invention in the form of a means for adjustment of ball return speed so that the device can be quickly adjusted to the level of skills of a player by adjusting quickly the device to control the speed of return of the ball. This return means adjustment is accomplished in one of two ways. In the first and simplest manner, the speed of the return may be adjusted by providing a second lower tether or leash which provides a biasing means with more or less bias depending on the biasing material used. By using an elastic chord of increasing strength as the second tether, the return of the ball may be sped up and conversely slowed by using a chord with less bias. In another embodiment of the device, return speed characteristics are adjustable by an axially off-centered enclosure, like a pipe, that rotates similarly to a cam and that readily adjusts the distance around which the tether will wrap and unwrap itself around it.
In the current best embodiment herein disclosed, the striking instrument will be referred to as a bat and the struck object as a baseball, both of the type commonly used in the game of baseball, although many variations of the striking and struck object could be used.
Muscle memory occurs when a particular motion is repeated a sufficient number of times with accompanying realistic sensations to verify the proper execution of the motion so as to enable a person to precisely reenact the motion when called upon in a competitive setting. In actual competition, the feel of striking a ball, the flight of the ball, and the location of landing of the ball all verify the proper execution of the striking motion. In a game such as baseball, a number of motions are required as a result of the location and speed of the reception of the baseball. Each motion is accompanied by different sensations imparted when striking the ball.
It is therefor an object of this invention to provide a ball striking practice device for improving one""s skill in games which involve the striking of an object such as a baseball, softball, tennis ball, hand ball, or racket ball with a striking instrument such as racket, bat stick, or one""s hand.
It is an additional object of the invention herein to provide a permanent or portably mountable practice device which permits a person to engage in the repetitive striking of a ball or similar object at a plurality of preset vertical position and a plurality of preset speed of returns of the practice ball.
A further object of this invention is to provide such ball striking practice ability in a relatively confined location so as to tone the required muscles, develop muscle memory of the proper motion, and develop the proper execution of the striking motion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device to permit hitting the ball from a normal striking position to stimulate realistic resistance and flight of the ball after being struck, and return the ball quickly to substantially the same location where it was struck.
An additional object is to provide the capability of adjusting the vertical location of the practice ball to permit practice of the basic motions in baseball as well as to adjust to different heights of players.
A further objective is the ability to precisely orient the ball to minimize undesirable contact between the periphery of the striking instrument and the securing tethers and insure consistent feel and flight of the ball.
Yet another objective is to provide a rapid means of adjustment of the speed of return of the ball for either speeding the practice process, improving hand and eye coordination, and accelerating the learning process for more advanced levels of the pitching practice.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the annexed sheets of drawings on which is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.